Though the sounds of missile strikes between Iran and the US-Israeli coalition have faded, Western intelligence agencies remain worried about another front of the conflict raging since March: covert attacks orchestrated by the regime in Tehran on European soil.

Europe has long feared the repercussions from this conflict in the form of an "asymmetric response" from Iran, including espionage, sabotage and interference operations. In the spring, French authorities described the threat as "low intensity." Since then, however, the attacks appear to have worsened.

On October 12, no fewer than 32 countries – including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the United States, Canada and the Netherlands – issued a joint statement to "condemn in the strongest terms Iran's use of violent attacks, including the acts of lethal plotting, arson, sabotage, cyber-attacks, and other hybrid activities against us and our partners." The statement came after the British government attributed an incident that occurred on September 27 near the Royal Air Force base in Fairford, UK – which was hosting US military aircraft involved in the war against Iran – to Iranian intelligence or networks operating on their behalf.